Suddenly that Ferrari-esque
front-end makes sense in the Peugeot 407, balanced as it is
with the flowing coupe tail. But the 407 Coop is likely to be
admired just as much for its mechanicals as it is for its
looks.

While the three-litre petrol V6 continues as an option in this
svelte beauty, our test machine came with the new 2,7 litre
turbodiesel. And what an impressive powerplant it is.

It produces a 150 kilowatts and 440 Newton metres at 1900
revs. And at anything above idle speed, when there is some
giveaway combustion clatter, it sounds pretty much like any
other highly-evolved six-cylinder engine.

The 407 HDI Coupe is available only with an automatic
transmission. While there’s a touch of turbo lag on
pull-off, both David enjoyed the smooth refinement of the
package.

The 407 Coupe is a fairly rigid ride. The suspension can be
firmed up even more when the Sport button is pushed on the
console, which also sharpens up throttle and gear-change
responses.

Amanda, like most other people, felt the 407 Coupe is a
knock-out in the looks department. We had plenty of positive
comments during Car Torque’s week with the new Peugeot, and
we felt that the engine performance was on par with the
appearance, given that it’s a diesel.

That long nose overhang still needs care in parking-lots and
when negotiating sharp road-elevation changes.

By and large, the Peugeot comes with an interior to match its
cruiser looks. Rather surprisingly there are no
steering-wheel-mounted buttons for functions like
cruise-control, gear-shifting and audio, but it does have
satellite navigation,park-sensors
and easy-to-use climate-control.

The cabin has a pleasing mix of traditional analogue and
digital instrumentation, and the memory-programmable
front-seats make access to the rear a painless operation. All
in all, a well-rounded package.

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